In the T-R’s Best of the Best Awards, readers have the last word.

For years, Marshalltown and Marshall County residents have looked forward to voting in the Best of the Best contest to support their favorite local businesses, organizations, people and attractions. It’s the biggest contest of its kind in the region, and we’re proud to host it as a way to recognize the places and people that make this region special.

We are stepping up to the challenge by making the contest bigger and better than ever, to provide even more visibility to area businesses and organizations.

Some of the changes we’re making this year include:

Daily voting. You can vote once per category per day, so you can really show your support for your favorites.

A new round of voting. When a category has a big field of nominees, it’s possible to “win” with only a very small percent of total votes. So, just like in an election where there is a primary, we are adding a first round of voting for readers to narrow nominees down to the Top 5. From that shorter list, readers will pick a winner and two finalists in a second round.

More transparency. We know the Best of the Best contest is important to the local businesses and organizations who compete. So, we are making steps this year to increase transparency in our rules and decisions about which nominees are eligible for which categories.

Voting can be done at timesrepublican.com.